In terms of international conflict, this is quite a handy word; a comparatively unloaded middleman between 'freedom fighter' and 'terrorist'. But nobody uses it like that, presumably because nobody feels comfortable describing rebels without telling us if they're goodies or baddies. Instead, we have Rebel MPs, Rebel Royals and - this is the one that makes me gag - Young Rebels.

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Choking is like being strangled from the inside. It's no laughing matter, even though it can sound very much like a laughing matter to begin with. If you're prone to this kind of thing, it's best to steer well clear of jewellery, especially chokers, choke chains, throttlers, etc.

Eva Rice, the daughter of Sir Tim Rice, was born in London in 1975. She was educated at boarding school in Wiltshire, then at Bristol university, where she studied theology. She became lead singer of The Replicant Saints, and was signed to IMG Models. Her first book, a Who's Who to Enid Blyton's characters, was published in 1997; her first novel, Standing Room Only, has just been published in paperback.

Weekend comment & features p12

As well as coming across as aloof, arrogant and heartless, Jonathan King's blatant disbelief of any wrongdoing on his part serves as a warning to others (The Fall Of A Pop Impresario, December 1). People such as King lie, cheat and use celebrity to satisfy depraved sexual desires. Blaming homophobia is no more than a smokescreen. I hope the years that King will spend in prison will lessen his egotistical attitude and, perhaps in time, make him realise that he is the sick, middle-aged clown we all now know he is. Anth Osborne Wallsend, Tyneside

Weekend comment & features p29

Weekend comment & features p34

Hyenas, aardvarks, camels... natural historians may seek to convince us about the beauty of the animal world, but who on earth could have dreamt up such absurd looking beasts? Guy Browning casts a critical eye.

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Bombarded by images of race riots and the war in Vietnam, America woke up one day in 1971 to hear its pain articulated by the voice of Marvin Gaye. Ben Edmonds gets the inside track on the Motown classic, What's Going On

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Law suits demanding restitution of art looted by the Nazis may force some of the world's leading galleries to hand back some of their most treasured possessions. Ian Traynor meets the Russian who has taken his case to the western courts

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Weekend comment & features p71

Hannah Pool: I've always had a bit of a thing about gold. It does for black skins what bronzer does for white. Just a hint of gold on the face or body, and the wearer's complexion gets an instant warm glow.

Weekend comment & features p83

Constant rows can indicate that a partnership is under strain, but some conflict is inevitable in all relationships, and may even be a sign of health. The couple that never argues may lack sufficient affection for each other to be bothered to engage in disagreements. Alternatively, the fear that displays of anger may terminally undermine the partnership may lead them to quash the slightest irritation.

Weekend comment & features p84

Cory We had only known each other two and a half to three months. And then one night, after she had just worked a double shift for me, which was incredibly good of her, I said, 'Okay, as thanks, you can have whatever you want.' I was expecting, you know, a dinner or a free drink. She said, 'I want you to marry me.' So I said back to her, 'Is that all?'

The first thing is the ferocity of our shower. British showers are risible; this is a fact. Most people's noses run faster than the average British shower, and one of Margret's longest held desires has been to get a shower like those in Germany. Thus, she got one fitted when we moved here and it is, indeed, German.

The friend I was meeting had bumped into him (an ex-colleague of hers) on the way to the bar. He was the kind of good-looking that makes you angry, you know? Like 'how come you got all that?' But also, he had the magical factor of not knowing he was good-looking. I sat in a blush until he left, then couldn't concentrate.

Features & comment p89

Bleeding radiators isn't real plumbing. It's like letting the wind out of a mechanical cow. Just as a cow's four stomachs lead to its prodigious gas output, your central heating can get air trapped, too. Water expands when heated, so every time your boiler comes on, the radiators' water takes up more room than it did a minute ago (that's why you have an expansion tank in the loft for it to expand into). When it contracts again, it can suck in air. Air also gets in through small leaks (surprisingly common, particularly around radiator valves ) during expansion and contraction. A classic symptom of trapped air is if your radiators don't get warm at the top. You may also hear ruminant-style gurglings. Get a radiator key. Locate the bleed nipple, or valve shank, usually on a top corner of the radiator, and try your key . Now go back and buy one the right size (they're not standardised). Standing by with an old mug for catching water and an old towel just in case, slot in your key. Turn it a quarter of a turn anticlockwise; no more or you'll get covered in brown stuff. Leave the air leak to flow out (this may take some time) until a spit of water begins, then shut it off. Top tip: Dale Courtman, Britain's Top Plumber, says the experts then give it another quick quarter turn. That's £50 you've saved. If you need to bleed your radiators more than once every year or two you could have Expansion Tank Valve Grief, which should be addressed sooner rather than later, because air in the system means rust. Rust is cholesterol for central heating, and you don't want the old girl to get that, as it can lead to major central heating surgery.

You really wouldn't want to be a trend predictor in these uncertain times. Oh God, no. Can you imagine, all the work that has gone to waste? Just when you have decided, well decreed really, that the key to style in 2003 would be "roundness", the world changes. A million trend reports have to be entirely rethought and rewritten. Pure hell. But there is a way out: to contradict yourself totally. "Sometimes when the outside world is hard and aggressive, we need to build an interior where we feel soft and sexual," said one of Europe's most influential trend analysts at a recent forum. "So where we had roundness, we needed new shapes, with new edges." So there you have it, the rudiments of what I, quite honestly, would call the science of trend prediction: blurriness.

Features & comment p101

Unlike everywhere else, the Isle of Man actually wants people to move in. The right sort, of course. It wants high skills for its offshore finance industry and, being a fairly conservative sort of place (homosexuality was illegal until 1992; the death penalty legal until 1993), it's probably not after people with an excessive love of anarchy/Marilyn Manson/the Guardian, etc.

Features & comment p105

Planting spring bedding in early autumn is common practice, the main reasons being that the summer bedding looked awful and there was a great urge for a new look, coupled with the fact that the retail salesmen have the plants ready, being keen to get them off their hands as early as possible.